South Africa Women won their T20I series against India on 22 April 2026, with two matches to go, at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
The hosts won the match by 9 wickets, with 115 balls off 53 by Laura Wolvaardt, in pursuit of 193 with 21 balls to go. It was the most successful South African T20I chase and a statement win ahead of the June T20 World Cup.
Wolvaardt Delivers the Defining Knock of the Series
The first ball made Wolvaardt clear her intentions. She hit Renuka Singh with a boundary off the first ball and never looked back. Fifty scored 50 in the fifth over, and her century was scored on just 47 balls, the quickest of any woman in South Africa to have played T20Is. She had 14 fours and 5 sixes, and 84 of her 115 runs were on the on side. She was dropped twice, once by Smriti Mandhana on 31 and once by Harmanpreet Kaur at extra cover on 85.
Wolvaardt was subsequently dismissed on 115 when South Africa needed 11 to win; she was caught on the deep mid-wicket by Shreyanka Patil. It was her third T20I century and her highest score in the format. She is now tied with Meg Lanning and Mandhana on 17 international hundreds.
Sune Luus was the ideal support throughout as she finished with 64 out of 42 balls. Their first wicket opening of 183 was the second-highest opening stand in South African history and has technically made them the first-choice opening pair in the T20 World Cup. The alliance was authoritative, disciplined, and there was no time when India even seemed to have the power to destroy the alliance before it was too late.
India Batted Well, But Lacked Answers With the Ball
India had a score of 192 for 4 and had three fifty-plus partnerships. Shafali Verma had the score of 64 out of 46 balls after a slow start, and Harmanpreet Kaur provided the impetus with 66 out of 38 balls, 7 fours and 3 sixes. Richa Ghosh added 18 of 10 balls to drive India past 190. The total was competitive on a level batting field.
But India had no ball answers. Nonkululeko Mlaba, the best of the bowlers in South Africa, took 2/31 in 4 overs. The seamers of India were expensive, and Deepti Sharma gave 46 off 3.3 overs in the pursuit. Injury fears were also experienced when Arundhati Reddy left the field midway through the game with the appearance of a side strain, yet she still came back to complete her spell.
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South Africa’s Home Season Sets Up World Cup Ambitions
This home summer was complete when South Africa won this series. They have beaten Ireland, Pakistan, and India in three consecutive home series in 2026, all in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in June. Wolvaardt acknowledged that they would probably make some adjustments to the team in the final two matches, but the momentum and confidence that the team has built are difficult to overlook.
For India, they must take the problem of their bowling depth seriously and will strive to salvage the remaining two matches.
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